Vapors
by Solomon1984
Summary: Semi-SI/OC. A person from our world is dragged against his will into the world of Naruto, and is granted an ability which will make him the target of all the major villains in the Naruto world. Forced into a world against his will & targeted by those who covet his abilities, he will have to use all his skills, his fearsome powers, and his future knowledge, to survive at all costs.
1. Introduction Arc: Chapter 1

My bed feels soft, but also grainy. Did I spill something on my bed in a sleepy haze? Also, what is this chill? Did I leave the blinds open? I wake up pretty much instantly at that point and _OH SHIT! THIS IS NOT MY BEDROOM!_

I see my surroundings and I am lying on …... _some sort of hospital bed? What the hell?_

There's something pulsing in front of me. I feel a kind of tingling sensation in my body, something that I cannot describe. I look down in front of me, and see some sort of monitor in front of me, lying innocuously next to my bed stand. Just then, I notice something else. My hands feel light, like a feather, and I am getting a sense of weight loss as well, and it is not limited to my hands only, I am getting this sense of weightlessness spread over my body. I try to move and gaze upon my hands and … …

_AAAAaaaauuhhhh!? I am small again, like ten-year-old small … what the hell?_

I've somehow been transported from my bedroom into a hospital room, and have been de-aged into my childhood midget self! Well I… I've never felt or believed myself to be insane, so this makes sense in a weird way. I poke my other arm. Yes, feeling it, so I haven't been dreaming this shit up. Alright. I'm calming down. Panicking will not help here.

I look down to check that I am still wearing the clothes that I wore last night. Nope, not anymore, I was wearing a set of pajamas, _which most definitely was not mine_. I tried to rise halfway and leaned back on the pillows and began to consider my options.

Okay, first thing to do, find out where I am, and what the hell is going on around me. Then, work out a plan of action. At that moment, I was disturbed from my thoughts as the door of my room opened, and a man walked in. I just stared at him dumbstruck. He was a completely unremarkable man, covered from head to toe in a white coverall, with the belly area being somewhat rotund. It looked ridiculously like a beekeeper suit, except for one thing. He was wearing a headband. A headband with a steel plate covering his entire forehead. **A headband with a steel plate covering his entire forehead, with the symbol of a leaf incorporating a swirl engraved upon it.** His eyes widened upon seeing me, and he hurried towards me, but I had already starting to descend into, what in the future could be generously described as a severe panic attack.

Well, I'm going to assume that I am no longer present on my world. Mostly, because of that ridiculously dressed fruitcake in front of me, who I am forced to concede cannot be anything else but a medic-nin.

Huh. If this is the world of Naruto, then my life expectancy just took a severe nose dive. Which means, that the presence of what I believe is a genuine ninja in front of me is not a coincidence, and that he was sent by whatever higher authority I assume has brought me here. Unlike most people who are taken in by the Disney mode of the manga, I am not foolish enough to fall into this trap. This world is a crap-sack world, no if's and but's about it, and unlike the manga which sugarcoats the harsher aspects of this world for its readers, the reality is quite different. Unless you are a stupidly powerful ninja, or an exceedingly powerful noble an extended life expectancy in this world cannot be guaranteed.

In a corner of my mind, I notice the beekeeper, I cannot come to call him a med-nin simply because of that suit, has come close to my mind, with his hands alight in a green glow of what can only be chakra. He comes close to me, and places his palms on my back, and I feel a tingling sensation … and then … and then …

Something happened. Everything's blurry. I think I'm standing on something, but I don't pay attention because everything hurts too much! My arms. My chest. My abdomen, my teeth, my eyes! Can eyes even be hurt? They're watering and I'm blinking and gasping and all I can see is a creamy white color and nothing but whiteness. I hug my arms to my chest and bend over. It is not just the pain, everything feels the wrong shape. The pain is being caused by something I can't fix. I don't want to-

And it stops. My body still sort of tingles, like I've just dropped into somewhere cold and the veins in my skin are trying to decide whether to contract or not. But the pain is gone. My body still feels wrong though. I need to see -

My mind clears up, and I find myself standing in a black void, with 3 spheres hanging in mid-air in front of me. Each of them a varying color in intensity. The left one is a bright-reddish orange, the middle one is pristine blue and the one on the right is smoke-grey in color. Each of them have a character upon them, which I mindlessly recognize as Fire, Water and Air (The fact that I could somehow read and understand what seemed to be a strange mish-mash of Japanese and Chinese did not occur to me at that time.)

A thin blue line extended straight in front of me from my chest and shaped itself into a long thread. At about one and a half meters length it stopped and began to split into three branches. Then, in front of me, each of those three threads went and ruptured one of those three spheres in front of me, and slowly, began to absorb them, and began to siphon back their contents to my body. I had read enough manga, and alternate fiction to get a gist of what was happening to me! Somehow, I was gaining the power of those three elements, and I was unable to stop it and it continued for a good 15 minutes.

It finally stops and then suddenly … **BLAM!** I was overwhelmed as the tingling sensation I had felt when the beekeeper touched me, returned, only it was now a thousand times more intense and I was immediately overwhelmed, by what I could later only describe as sheer power. An icy blast erupted in front of me the moment I brought that sensation down to manageable levels, and my mind was saturated with images of various techniques, multiple images of various forms of a combination of those three elements being manipulated into techniques that can technically reshape the lay of the land itself. And a ringing voice in my head, through which I could make out one word blaring out again and again. _Vapor release._

Wait… as far as I know, only bloodlines end with the term _Release_! But as far as I can tell there is no bloodline limit with that name, this one is completely different … … wait, Holy Shit! Bloodline limits are a combination of two elements as far as the manga explained it, but the combination of three elements is a bloodlimit expansion, the one used by Onoki, the Tsuchikage, a Kekkei Touta! Shit, did I just gain a … _what the hell?_

As the overwhelming sensation of power receded, I thought about it and remembered the images of one of the techniques that I had witnessed in that onslaught of memories, and damn, this was some applied phlebotinum shit right here!

_What the hell?_ No wonder, people in chat forums in my world termed Dust Release as one of the most OP Hax ability in anime! I slowly gathered myself and walked forward without any aim, and tried to recall anything I know about myself or if I have a new set of memories.

After a few minutes of straining my brain, I am assaulted by a new set of memories.

_Ichijou Masaki. _That's my name. a ten-year-old orphan, living in Konoha's orphanage. My parents were killed in the rampage of the nine-tailed fox three years ago. I was until recent events, a non-descript orphan surviving in the aftermath of the greatest disaster to hit the leaf village.

I am here because the teachers of the Ninja Academy conducted the usual chakra unlocking test for all the students, and when they had approached me to unlock my chakra, yeah … … the force of my chakra had knocked out the two chuunin who were conducting the test and had completely wrecked the room. I had apparently collapsed from the strain … and I can guess what has happened since then.

I have most likely been brought into the hospital for a battery of tests. If what I am guessing is right, then shit will be hitting the highest levels of the village right now. A Kekkei Touta is a one in a billion occurrence, considering its rarity and potency. I just went from being a nobody to a target on everybody's radar. Everybody and I mean everybody will be wanting a piece of me. The bloodline clans will be planning to put me down, as my abilities surpass theirs, just to maintain their status. Then, there is the reaction of the village and the whole world to take stock of. I don't even want to think what the other Kage's will do with this knowledge. And this knowledge will get out, I was sure of that. Konoha had more leaks in its security than water through a fucking sieve. And lastly, I just got myself put on the hit list of many of the grade-A assholes of this world, Obito, Orochimaru, Zetsu, Pein, and Danzo just to name a few.

The one silver lining I had was this. I was somehow brought into this world for a reason. Whoever it was, they would not allow me to be killed so early in the game, of that I am sure. So, if my guess is right, I have myself a certain grace period in which I must become a bona fide badass, on the same range as Minato Namikaze at the least, if I am to survive, before this world piles in on me with everything it has.

To paraphrase a certain Nara who should be a toddler at this time, this is too troublesome.

* * *

**Hokage's office**

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha, the vaunted 'Professor' and called universally as the 'God of Shinobi' was currently trying to deal with a surplus of emotions at the same time. Of all of the things to happen, this one had hit him right out of the blue. An honest to god Blood-limit expansion! A one-in-a billion occurrence! And now, he had to deal with the ramifications for the child, for himself, for the village, and account for the inevitable reaction of their enemies when this news leaked out.

Above all else, he needed to ensure that the emergence of this ability did not break the balance of powers between the clans. None of the bloodline wielding clans would be pleased at the existence of an ability which would by its mere presence, surpass theirs. Homura and Koharu would try and help, sure, and above all else, he needed to ensure that the child did not fall under Danzo's grasp. The potential for this child was too immense to let it flounder under Danzo's regimen.

As he entered the council room, he could see that there was a lively and animated discussion going on. All noise stopped as he entered and made his way towards his seat. The top most dais was occupied by him, Homura, Koharu and Danzo as was custom.

On the opposing tables facing them were all the clan heads, the commander of ANBU and the head of the Hospital.

"I have no need to tell all of you as to why we are gathered here," Hiruzen spoke without preamble, as muted grumbles came out from everyone.

"As of today, Konoha has gained a Kekkei Touta, though we are not yet aware of what it is and what it can portend, but its existence is undeniable," the Hokage spoke with absolute conviction and everyone took a deep breath at the implications.

"What do we know of the boy?" Danzo asked quietly, at which the ANBU commander opened a file and began to read out the results of their investigations.

"Ichijou Masaki, aged 10, orphaned during the attack of the fox. Both of his parents were civilians and were killed in the attack, and he has been living in the village orphanage since then. Accepted into the academy at age 8, and currently in the second year. Shows a high aptitude in physical combat, particularly in speed and hand-to-hand combat. Has consistently placed in the top tenth percentile of students. Has been marked to succeed in the Genin exams with high confidence. Has a small circle of friends but spends most of the time either in the village library or exercising and training in the academy training grounds. Loyalty to the village is marked as very high. Psychological evaluation indicates that he feels an enormous amount of gratitude for the village for taking care of him since he became an orphan, and it seems he is determined to repay it by serving the village, which was his primary motivation in attempting to become a ninja. His family history shows that he is the first one in his family to attempt at becoming a shinobi. All in all, is considered as a model student at the academy," the commander finished his report, and majority of the people let out a small sigh of relief.

"Acceptable, but from now on, we will have to take steps to ensure that his already commendable loyalty to the village becomes absolute. Such a precious gem cannot be allowed to falter from his allegiance to the village at any cost," Koharu spoke out, to which there were guarded nods from everyone. The boy and his potential warranted such steps, and no one in the room disputed the fact.

"What is the nature of this Kekkei Touta? Do we have any leads on this?" Nara Shikaku, the Jonin commander and the head of the Nara clan asked, at which everybody turned to look at the head of the hospital.

The man sighed, and took out a folder, "As you all know, a Kekkei Genkai is an inheritable ability that is passed down by blood from parents to children and is a combination of two elemental natures that are present in the child since inception. A Kekkei Touta on the other hand is not inherited but created when the user possesses three types of nature transformations and utilizes them simultaneously. Many ninjas are capable of learning elemental ninjutsu of various natures, even though biologically they possess only one or two elemental natures at the most. Most ninja are at best capable of using techniques of two to three natures by training themselves diligently over the course of their lives. Some exceptional ninja's can go beyond even that. Hokage-sama himself is a prime example of this. Though he possesses fire and earth nature's, by sheer training, he is able to utilize techniques of all five elements. It is because of this remarkable achievement, that he is the third person in history to earn the title of 'Shinobi no Kami'. On the other hand, a Kekkei Touta is only possible when a person is born with three elemental nature's and is able to use them simultaneously. There have been only two recorded Kekkei Touta users in existence since the system of hidden villages came up, and both are from Iwagakure. They are respectively, the second Tsuchikage Muu, and the third Tsuchikage, Onoki. _**A Kekkei Touta is a one-in-a-billion occurrence**_. I cannot stress how rare this is. The next such birth may not occur for another few decades. Onoki and Muu were born during the end of the clan wars and when the hidden villages were just coming into existence. It has been nearly sixty years, since then, and now, we have only one such existence come into focus."

"A valuable history lesson, but it does not cleave to the matter at hand. What is the nature of this child's Kekkei Touta, and what kind of abilities can we expect from him?" Uchiha Fugaku asked curtly, although without any disrespect, in a firm and unyielding tone. Half the members at the table leaned forward to hear the answer.

"Unknown, simply because this combination of elemental natures has never been seen before, however, we have some ideas," the man replied, to which there was an undercurrent of irritation amongst the members of the room.

"Gentlemen, My Lady, please, I ask for your patience. Remember that, this is a rare phenomenon even for us as well. There have been many theoretical studies done to research what abilities could be gained by combining various elements, purely from the study of physics. We know of Dust Release because of the exploits of Muu and Onoki. Dust Release requires a combination of Earth, Wind and Fire elemental natures. This boy on the other hand possesses Fire, Water and Air elemental natures. From what our hypothetical studies have conjectured, we believe, it will give him some form of Gas or Vapor manipulation abilities. But as to the form and nature of that, we have no idea, as there is no way to practically test it. Any ideas of what this ability can do, can be experimented and realized upon by the boy alone. There is no precedent for this. We cannot help someone if we ourselves do not know what sort of help we can give!"

The Hokage considered those words seriously. "But you have some theories on what he can potentially do?" Homura asked quietly, pleasing Hiruzen who did not wish to appear too eager by asking that question.

"In essence, yes," the hospital head replied, "We suspect that the boy will be able to manipulate matter in the form of vapor, which can grant him a variety of abilities. For example, it would theoretically allow him to absorb water from any source, allowing him to literally dehydrate a person to death by vaporizing the blood in their very body. He can manipulate the very air around him to cause deoxygenation, and render all living beings in an area dead simply by removing the very oxygen from the atmosphere. He can cause objects, including themselves and/or other beings, to make their very atoms separate and lose cohesion, "evaporating" into the surrounding environment. They can either fuse target back together or sublimate target by fatally dispersing the atoms/molecules into nothingness. This is all theoretical conjecture, but if we apply the laws of physics that pertain to this domain, and if the boy is able to make it possible, then there is nothing in this world that he cannot destroy," the man finished, while all the members in the room blanched at the thoughts.

"That is … unsettling. I realize that a Kekkei Touta is not normal by any means, but I did not think that the difference between a Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Touta would be this vast," Shibi Aburame opined with a deep sigh, while Sarutobi massaged his forehead.

"A very powerful ability, and if he manages to master it, he will be a ninja in the same leagues as that of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara themselves," Inoichi Yamanaka opined, at which the elders became more serious.

"At the moment, there is no possibility of the boy turning against the village, but it would be in our interests to ensure that it never comes to pass. I propose that we remove him from the academy and fast-track him into ANBU for specialized training," Danzo spoke out, while quite a few members of the council frowned at that. They had not even finished discussing about the boy's abilities, and Danzo was already staking a claim on the boy.

"No, the boy's potential is too enormous to risk by sending him to ANBU. We will not risk his development by sending him to the black ops, which can have an adverse impact on his mind and psyche. We still do not know the full extent of his abilities or how they may develop. By placing him into ANBU and their rigorous schedule, we will be depriving him of the ability to experiment and develop his abilities to their fullest extent. Your request is denied, Danzo. There is too much at stake with this child to risk him with ANBU," Hiruzen flatly denied Danzo's request, while quite a few clan heads nodded in agreement and in some cases, disguised relief.

"Hiruzen, see reason," Danzo tried to reason with the Hokage, "In ANBU, the boy will be able to improve at a rapid pace, something that he cannot do while being placed in the Academy."

"But it should not come at the expense of him developing himself properly," the counter came from Homura, "While I agree that ANBU can give him many advantages, it will actually hinder his overall development. The boy is now at the critical juncture where he will form relationships with his peers, which is required to cement his bonds with the village. He needs to experience all that the village can offer, in order to solidify his roots, and to grant him the freedom to explore his abilities on his own merits, which is not possible in the Black Ops. And we cannot take risks with such a candidate, Danzo. If it was any other, I would have agreed, but a Kekkei Touta, is too rare and valuable to risk," Homura shook his head indicating that he was against the suggestion.

"By his very existence, and with his abilities, by the time he matures, the boy will be a candidate for the position of Hokage within the next ten years, on the merit of his abilities alone. The power and prestige that a Kekkei Touta brings cannot be underestimated. Even at the height of the third war, there was a reason why Minato did not push the battle too hard, in case it forced Onoki to take direct action. Iwa has had unprecedented stability under a Kage with a Kekkei Touta, and Onoki is the longest serving Kage for a reason. We all know that Konoha has declined militarily with the attack of the fox, and this boy's power may be the band-aid that will patch over the weakness of that wound. No, we cannot take the risk of placing that boy in the Black Ops, but at the same time, we cannot keep him in the academy as well. He must be removed from the academy, and trained diligently with individualized focus," Koharu spoke out, while quite a few of the clan heads seemed rather pensive at her declaration. Especially Fugaku and Hiashi, who were secretly hoping that the next Kage would come from their clans.

"I will take him as a student and train him," Sarutobi replied after a few moments to a stunned room, which looked at him in surprise, and a hint of disbelief.

"What?" Danzo asked incredulously, while all the clan heads looked flabbergasted. Homura and Koharu looked like somebody had whacked them in the head with a club.

"I have taken all your points into consideration," Sarutobi replied after a few moments, even as he blew out a ring of smoke from his pipe. "By a stroke of fate, this boy and his abilities, are a gift bestowed upon him and conversely the village, by the Gods themselves. We are all agreed that his potential is limitless. What he needs above all is the time and freedom to grow and develop himself, so that he can master his abilities to their fullest extent. If we allow any of the clans to train him, then that will break the balance of powers between the clans and destabilize the village. Conversely, if we place him in the Black Ops, we risk damaging his potential. As it is, there are no Jonin in the village capable of training someone like this. Which leaves only me. I do not wish to boast, but when it comes to training prodigies, I am the best in the village," the Hokage spoke out calmly, while Danzo gripped his cane in frustration.

"And how did that turn out, Hiruzen? Of the three prodigies you trained, one is a traitor, another a deserter, and the last, a vagabond! Can we take the same risk with this child?" Danzo asked heatedly, as the temperature in the room chilled noticeably.

"That was uncalled for," Homura rebuked Danzo, while Koharu glared at the man in irritation. The clan heads and the others wisely remained silent.

"I meant no offense, but the truth is what it is. I do not deny Hiruzen's abilities to raise prodigies, but he was too lenient with his students and look how that turned out," Danzo pointed out. "The Shodai's granddaughter has all but abandoned the village, becoming a slave to her grief. There are many in the village who have suffered similarly, but yet remain, serving the village to the best of their abilities, unlike her. Jiraiya acts as our spymaster, but yet, he is rarely seen within the village, and about his last student, the less said the better. I just do not wish to see history repeat itself," Danzo grunted even as he gazed at the Hokage unflinchingly.

"And it will not," Sarutobi countered smoothly. "I have learned from my mistakes, Danzo, and this time, my approach will be different. This time I will have only one student to focus upon, and where I failed with Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Tsunade, here I will succeed. As it is, with the advent of a Kekkei Touta, the boy clearly is the best candidate we have for the position of Hokage in the future. However, in future, if a candidate superior to even him appears, then that candidate can also be considered. But more importantly, another of my aims in taking him as my student, is to ensure his safety," the Hokage replied, to which everyone looked at the Hokage with surprise.

Shikaku, unsurprisingly, got it first. "I see, I agree, Hokage-sama. It is the most prudent course of action. Sooner or later, the news will leak out that Konoha has gained a Kekkei Touta. The reaction to that will be downright explosive. Especially Kumo, which will do everything possible to kill the boy. The Raikage is not someone who will tolerate Konoha gaining this kind of advantage. Even Onoki might be forced into action. Yagura is unpredictable, and it will not take much for Rasa to be swayed away from his alliance with us. By placing the boy with you, it will be the greatest shield the village can provide to him," the Jonin commander nodded his head in appreciation at the plan.

"I agree!"

"I concur,"

"No objections!"

"It is prudent,"

One by one, all of the clan heads assented to the proposal. Whether it was willing or not, none of them contested the position taken by the Sandaime. After a few minutes, the elders nodded their assent, with an extremely grudging nod by Danzo following afterwards.

"I suppose we should go to the hospital and meet the boy. Meeting adjourned," Sarutobi announced, even as he got up, and everyone followed suit.

* * *

Author's Note: Let's see how this one goes. I plan to make this into a long story.


	2. Introduction Arc: Chapter 2

It had been nearly eight hours since I had gained consciousness, and from that time on, I was in my room in the hospital, kept in total isolation. Well, not total; two ANBU in steel grey armor and animal themed face masks had unobtrusively moved into the room and taken positions at two different corners of the room. And from then on, there was absolute silence in the room. I did not attempt to speak with them, and they did not attempt to make any conversation with me.

I realized that I would be having these two minder's until the Hokage decided upon his next course of action and decided to use that time to conduct an internal analysis on my own body and what was going on. I slowly entered into a deep trance of meditation, which I remembered from my Yoga classes in my old life, and slowly entered what I assumed was my mindscape.

My mindscape was entirely clogged with fog and gas, which I assumed was due to my newly awakened abilities. I slowly took stock of the changes and noticed that my chakra capacity had nearly doubled, which had completely shot my control to hell. My joints and limbs were far more fluid and my reflexes had increased beyond my skill to keep them in hold. My motor functions had lost their rigidity, but on the other hand, I could literally sense every living being around me in a radius of five hundred meters.

But above all else, I was now planning on my next course of action. As of now, it was still only three years since the attack of the fox, and the village was still in the course of rebuilding. Most of the main characters of the Naruto world were still toddlers, and Konoha was currently weak, pitifully weak. Only the facade of its past glory, coupled with the threat of the third Hokage who was at the waning point of his prime, and Jiraiya, coupled with Danzo's underhanded shenanigans had kept Konoha safe until the events of Naruto's graduation.

The most immediate events of significance that were to yet to happen were the attempted kidnapping of Hinata, and then, following it, was the Uchiha massacre. My foremost goal at the moment was to regain control of my body and get a hold of my abilities, and to devise a way to keep my foreknowledge secure.

On that point, I was reasonably secure in my belief that Sarutobi would not allow the Yamanaka to rummage in my mind, partly in the fear that they would not want to risk any psychic damage to me due to the importance of my new abilities, and partly because I had given no cause to the village to doubt my loyalty.

At this point, there were only three options with which Konoha could deal with me. I was very sure that I had been bumped up into the list of potential Hokage candidates by virtue of my new abilities alone, and that the village would start investing significantly in me to reap the rewards in the future.

At the minimum, my days of studying in the academy would be over. Of that, I was certain. The only thing that the village could do was to fast-track my training, either by moving me to ANBU or apprenticing me to a senior figure in the village. I doubted if Sarutobi would allow me to go into ANBU with the shadow of Danzo looming around, but it was a distant possibility, if the cripple could manage to convince the other councilors. If not, then I would be apprenticed to someone senior in the village. I would not be handed off to one of the clans, that much was certain. It would break the power balance within the village.

With regards to my potential teachers, Kakashi and Gai were still too young to be entrusted with training me. Most of the non-clan senior Jonin capable of training me had either perished in the attack of the fox, and those who had survived were too busy running missions to stabilize the village. My Kekkei Touta ensured that they would not risk my training with anyone less than a Kage-level shinobi. The village had very few of those. Tsunade and Jiraiya were out of the question. Danzo would not be permitted, and by default and logical deduction, that left Sarutobi himself.

But that would open a whole new can of worms. There was a reason why Sarutobi had not taken any students again after the Sannin. One, his original set of students had made such a mark on the world, that any future students would always be judged and held to the same standard as those three. Second, at the time when Sarutobi was training those three, Tobirama Senju was still alive and running the show, which gave him a lot of leeway in training the Sannin. Afterwards, with Tobirama's death, Sarutobi had ascended to the post of the Hokage, while those three had grown strong enough to branch out on their own.

Now, the situation was different. Konoha was weak, and the other villages had sensed the blood in the water. Only the combinations of the facts that Minato had emasculated Iwa, coupled with the disappearance of the third Kazekage, the aftershocks of which were still being felt to-date, had stayed the tide. I did not know if Obito had already started the Kiri bloodline purges yet, and the Raikage would soon attempt to probe Konoha for weaknesses.

In this situation, if the news leaked out that Sarutobi had taken on another student, it would send a thunder flash down the other villages. Just because of who he was. If the 'Shinobi no Kami' had finally deigned to take another student, especially considering how his previous students had turned out, then the world would collectively focus on me with a Zen-like focus.

_Who is this boy? What skills or abilities does he have to make the Hokage himself take him on as a student? Is Sarutobi training a successor?_ All these points would be looked at, probed at, and I would receive extreme scrutiny. Not to mention, the level of expectations that would be placed on me would be astronomical. In Konoha, the lineage of Hokage's had been that of an unbroken chain of master to apprentice.

Sarutobi had learned under Hashirama and Tobirama, and Minato had learned under Jiraiya, who himself had learned under Sarutobi. If I was to become Sarutobi's student, it would send an unmistakable signal to the whole world, that I was a potential Hokage candidate. No ifs and buts about it. And if the news of my Kekkei Touta leaked out, the other villages would make a dedicated effort to take me out, as it would threaten the balance of power between the villages.

That meant, that I would have to start focusing on mastering my new abilities at a truly punishing pace. I had decent chakra now, but I urgently needed to regain my control over my body. Also, I would have to start revealing a bit of my intelligence and maturity, in gradual phases, but not enough to spook the higher-ups in the village. I needed to become Jonin level in the next eighteen months, or at least before the Hyuuga incident occurred.

* * *

Meanwhile, from a glass panel across the room, Sarutobi watched the boy in silence as he sat deeply in meditation. Homura, Koharu, Danzo and Shikaku, the four top leaders in the village, accompanied by the ANBU commander and the head medic, Yakushi Kinzo, watched the boy with varying levels of apprehension and intensity.

"How long has he been awake?" Shikaku asked Yakushi, who replied back, "For about eight hours."

"And what has he done since then?" Homura asked, even as the ANBU commander shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing. He simply took stock of the situation when it was explained to him that he was in the hospital, and afterwards, he simply sat in deep meditation. He has not moved or reacted to anything at all, since then."

"Nothing? No questions as to why he is being held here, or why there are ANBU in the room with him, or no attempt to make any sort of conversation at all?" Koharu asked with a bit of worry, to which the ANBU commander shook his head.

"So, he suspects something is amiss, or he believes that he will be informed in due time and has no intention of making a nuisance of himself until he learns what is going on. A remarkable sense of composure for one so young. The reports stated that he was intelligent, clearly, they did not lie," Danzo grunted in agreement, while there were guarded nods from everyone as they agreed with the old man's observations.

"I think it is time I spoke with him and apprised him of the situation, for himself and for what it portends for him, and the village as a whole," Sarutobi spoke out, and nodded to an ANBU, who opened the door, as he walked inside.

* * *

While I was deep in my meditation, I suddenly sensed a sense of blazing heat and warmth near my presence. I instinctively realized that someone powerful had entered the room, and I suspected that what I did was just a rudimentary form of sensing. As I opened my eyes, I noticed that Sarutobi Hiruzen, the third Hokage, the 'Shinobi no Kami' himself was in front of me, in all his glory. Instantly, I understood that my guess had been spot on. He intended to take me on as a student.

"Hokage-sama," I greeted the man immediately, with a deep bow, as I stood up, and from the edges of my view, I noticed that the two ANBU who were in the room earlier had removed themselves.

"Hello Ichijou-kun, I hope you are doing well," Sarutobi spoke out with a small smile, and sat on a chair opposite my bed, and indicated to me to sit down.

"Do you have any inkling on what has happened to you, and as to why I am here?" Sarutobi continued, and I took a deep breath before I spoke out, knowing that I was literally putting my jaws in the mouth of the tiger.

"I suspect that it is because of the emergence of what I believe is my Kekkei Touta, Hokage-sama," I spoke out with a bit of hesitation lacing my tones, and I was not surprised to see him flinch at the fact that I acknowledged it so openly.

"How ... interesting! I had no idea that you were capable of realizing it, and even I am surprised that you know something about it in the first place. Knowledge about Kekkei Touta is not something that we teach at the academy," Sarutobi allowed, even as he focused his complete attention on the boy.

The boy's admission of his ability had come out of the blue, and once again, Sarutobi was forced to revise his estimation about the boy, and he decided to evaluate the boy in front of him without any preconceived notions. He would not permit another Orochimaru on his watch.

"I ... spend a lot of time in the library, Hokage-sama," the boy spoke out haltingly before composing himself and continued. "Above all else, I am an ardent lover of history, and I have read the records of the first and second wars. As such, I am aware of the Second and Third Tsuchikage's and what they are capable of. Furthermore, while studying about chakra nature's for a homework assignment, I learned somewhat of how bloodlines are formed, and while I am no expert by a long shot, even I can tell when my own body has been significantly changed. But the main reason as to why I know what has happened, is because I witnessed it myself," the boy admitted with a calm tone, to which Sarutobi widened his eyes in surprise in reaction.

"I don't know how to explain it, but when the Chunin in the academy helped me unlock my chakra, for a second, I believe I was transported to a space, which I believe is either my mind or sub-consciousness or whatever else, where I witnessed three balls of chakra hanging in mid-air in an empty space. I don't know how else to describe it," the boy admitted, while Sarutobi dropped his pipe in shock at the description.

He immediately coughed and straightened himself and picked the pipe back, "What!?" he asked the boy with an eyebrow raised, even as his mind calculated all the possible scenario's.

"Yes," the boy continued, as if he was giving a situation report, "and the weird thing was that each of them were of different colors and had labels on them. The first one was orange colored and the kanji for 'Fire' was upon it, the second was colored like smoke and had 'Air' upon it, and the last was deep blue in color and had 'Water' written upon it. Then those three balls ruptured, and their contents filled up the empty space and I was at that moment, I presume ... knocked out. I really don't know what else to say Hokage-sama! If I assume that those three were my chakra nature's, then it is obvious conclusion to make that with the combination of three chakra nature's, what I have is obviously a Kekkei Touta. I have no means of explaining it further, and if you wish it, I am willing to submit to any form of testing you desire, to verify my words," the boy spoke out and bowed, while Sarutobi remained speechless.

In all his years, he had never ever heard of such a thing. Yes, he knew of mindscapes and how they worked courtesy of the Yamanaka and their studies, but this, this was something out of the blue. Was this what Onoki and Muu had experienced as well, or was it unique to this boy? In any ways, it was not like he could call Onoki and ask him about it.

But, if this was true and the boy was aware of what he possessed, then with his intelligence, he should be aware of what it means to him as well.

"That is ... interesting, Ichijou-kun," he allowed, even as he retook control of the conversation. "While most of the time, we use chakra paper to test for affinities, this is the first time that a Kekkei Touta has manifested in this village, and even we are in the dark as well. Have you noticed any significant changes in yourself since you have awoken?" Sarutobi asked the boy, who nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Hokage-sama, while I was waiting for someone to come and speak to me, I decided to meditate and observe, to check if there were any changes within me, and I have observed quite a few changes," I admitted, while Sarutobi stroked his beard and motioned for me to continue.

"I noticed that the amount of chakra in my body has increased by at least 40%, if my estimates are right. I am not too certain about the exact amount, but I am reasonably certain that my reserves are now at least at the level of a Chunin. It has also ruined any form of control I had over my chakra, and my reflexes seem to have increased as well, beyond my ability to control. My motor-control functions seem to have lost their cohesion, and I suspect, that my immediate task is to establish my control over my chakra again," I admitted, while Sarutobi seemed pensive, and there was a bit of hardness in his eyes.

"A thorough and concise summary, Ichijou-kun," the Hokage replied, before his voice became a bit sterner. "The reports stated that you were a top student, but it seems that reports on your intelligence have been understated," he pointed out, at which my eyes widened.

_Fuck! Of course, he is having relapses of Orochimaru! Powerful, young, and very intelligent, and now being outed as deliberately hiding my skills, just like his old traitorous student. By appearing more intelligent than I was expected to be, I was almost close to blowing my own cover! How could I be so stupid? I quickly needed to salvage this._

"There is nothing to understate, Hokage-sama, it was a deliberate action on my part. After all, the nail that stands out the most is also the one that gets hammered the most! Intelligence without the strength to back it up is useless, similarly, strength without the intelligence to wield it is also equally useless. My goal was to use the time spent in the academy to focus and gain complete mastery over the basics of the ninja arts, before I became a Genin. If I had performed further above expectations, I would have been asked to graduate early, and that would have robbed me of the chance to utilize the freedom I gain at the academy and its library to focus on my goals. Which is moot now, anyways," I shrugged, as I looked at Sarutobi unflinchingly. Any hesitation, stuttering or fear on my face at this point would literally destroy any chance of Sarutobi trusting me at all, and I would be carted off to Inoichi Yamanaka without question for a full-scale interrogation.

"Indeed," Sarutobi mused as he gazed at me, with his mind analyzing my responses. "In a way, hiding your capabilities from your teachers at the academy could be considered as a crime, you know? They exist to help students like you, and if you deliberately hide your capabilities, it does not bode well for how you are perceived," he spoke out, and I winced. _Man, how badly did Orochimaru's defection screw him up?_

Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. "Respectfully, Hokage-sama, I would have to disagree," I spoke out, while Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, "Oh? Do elaborate, Ichijou-kun. I would love to hear your reasoning."

"You are assuming that I hid my abilities, but I remind you that I am consistently ranked in the top ten in my class since the beginning of my joining. The only thing, I allow, that I have kept quiet, is my ability to perceive things and my comprehension skills; which may be better than my fellow students. But Hokage-sama, I know for a fact that I am not the only one in the academy who is hiding my full abilities. Almost all the students from the bloodline clans, have started training in their bloodlines, and are starting to learn skills corresponding to them. I know for a fact that the Hyuuga in my class has started to learn Jyuuken, yet he does not use it in academy taijutsu classes. Similarly, the Uchiha in my class has started fire ninjutsu training. I can see the pockmarks of Jyuuken strikes on the Hyuuga's forearms and the burn marks at the edges of the Uchiha's mouth, indicating that they have made progress with those skills and yet they do not display it in the academy. Compared to that, me keeping secret of the fact that I possess above-ordinary observation and comprehension skills pale in comparison. My only reason in keeping a low profile was that I did not feel comfortable in graduating until I believed I was ready. I leave the rest to your judgment," I replied back and remained silent, even though my heart was pounding in my chest.

For a while, Sarutobi stayed silent as he listened through my tirade, and then he smiled, and began to laugh uproariously. "Oh ... I suppose I needed that," Sarutobi laughed in mirth, even as he composed himself. "Oh, you need not worry, my boy, I was not questioning your loyalty, but your motives. I have seen such cases before as well, where exceptional students have ruined themselves with their over-compensating belief that they are correct in their opinions and that only they know what is best for them, despite the contrary. I just did not wish for you to fall into that trap," he admitted, even as I sighed in relief. However, I knew that he would be keeping an eagle eye on me from now on.

"Which brings us to the matter at hand! What to do with you?" he mused, even as he looked at me. "It is clear that you cannot continue studying in the academy. It would only hinder your growth henceforth. Your new ability and what it means to Konoha as a whole, cannot be understated, and despite all the precautions we take, inevitably it will leak one day. **_And once it leaks, the blowback will be tremendous. Of that, I have no doubt_.** Enough to destabilize the power balance between the nations themselves. What we need is time, and someone who can train you so that you can master these abilities to some extent at least, before the news becomes public. As such, I have decided to take you in as my personal student," he replied matter-of-factly, while I became silent.

After a few minutes of silence, Sarutobi replied, "_Usually, when offered training by a Kage, the reaction does not include silence_," he admitted wanly, as he gazed at me.

"Please don't think me ungrateful for the offer, Hokage-sama, but I have to consider the implications of such a statement before I accept," I spoke out, while Sarutobi raised his eyebrow in apprehension. I guess it is not every day that he sees someone hesitate to accept being trained by a Kage.

"Implications? Well, it is pleasing to see that you are as smart as I suspected you to be," Sarutobi genially smiled at me, even as he looked at me expectantly, indicating me to voice out my thoughts. No doubt, another test for me.

"Being the personal student of a Kage, has a lot of implications in our village, Hokage-sama, especially considering the occupants of the seat. I know not how it is in the other villages, but in this village, every Kage has been trained by his predecessor, or by someone related to their predecessor. You yourself, were trained by the Second and the First, and the Fourth was trained by your student himself. It paints a huge target on my back, if I am to accept being your student, Hokage-sama. I will be held and judged by unreasonable standards by the rest of the villagers who will expect nothing less than miracles from me. I don't know if your aim is to groom me as a candidate for your post in the far future, but whether it is your aim or not, the rest of the world will perceive it to be the case. And if that is the case, then they will aim for me, before they believe I can come into my own. Compounding to that fact is that once the nature of my abilities become known, those suspected attempts will become guaranteed for a fact. Besides that, the fact remains that your former students have cast a long shadow over this village. Everybody will be expecting me to equal them or outdo them. Being the student of a man known as 'Shinobi no Kami' comes with a lot of baggage. I am not certain if I possess the fortitude to bear that weight," I admitted, while Sarutobi nodded in agreement at my thought, though for a second, I thought I saw a gleam of appreciation in his eyes.

"The fact that you are even capable of comprehending these thoughts at your age itself is a mark in your favor, and proof that you can survive learning under Sarutobi," a sharp and clear-cut female voice came out from the corner of the room, and I turned around only to freeze as I saw Koharu, Homura, Danzo and Shikaku standing at the corner.

"I agree with my colleague," Homura spoke out genially, "Of all the children of your age in Konoha at the moment, apart from you, I doubt if there is anybody else who can grasp these thoughts as well as you. The fact that you are aware of what abilities you possess, and the fact that you have the foresight to calculate all the possibilities of what your abilities mean and portend, is in itself, again, another mark in your favor," the old man continued, while he looked at Danzo, who nodded in agreement.

"Usually, unlike other villages, we do not raise someone dedicatedly as a successor to our Kage," Danzo began, even as he looked at me with a deep penetrating stare. "Generally, we permit our shinobi to grow on their own merits, and we choose the one who is the most exceptional of that generation, and then we train them further to ensure that their already considerable skills are enhanced to the point, that they can take over the position of Hokage. That was how Namikaze Minato came to be groomed as the Fourth Hokage. But in your case, we can make an exception. Your Kekkei Touta ensures that you will have the power by the time your body matures. What you need is the knowledge and experience of understanding what a Hokage does on a day-to-day basis. Your training under Sarutobi will be your baptism by fire. All that is needed is to see if you will crumble into ashes or emerge as a diamond in the rough, forged from that heat," the man finished, while I gaped at him in shock. Damn, the man could be charismatic when he wanted to. No wonder everybody thought of him as a rival to Sarutobi.

At the end, Shikaku, who was the last person remaining, spoke out. "Troublesome, but the elders are right, boy! Your skills in comprehending the facts that are laid out before you means that we do not have to explain our rationale for why Hokage-sama has made this offer to you. You are smart enough to know better. All that we are asking is, can you do better?"

After all of them had made their pitch, I realized that my entire conversation with Sarutobi had been observed, and that this was some sort of evaluation test. My own foreknowledge what this world would undergo in the future, sealed the deal. Sighing, I stood up and bowed to Sarutobi, "I would be honored to become your apprentice, Sarutobi-sensei!"


End file.
